For many years, consumer electronic devices such as televisions, stereos, video cassette recorders, compact disc players and tape cassette players have enjoyed increased development of remote control systems to the point where virtually all such devices are available with remote control capability. The fabrication and design of such remote control units has become extremely commonplace and most include a small elongated relatively thin plastic housing having an upper face supporting a plurality of control buttons and an internally supported battery powered infrared information sending device. On the receiving consumer electronic device, an infrared responsive receiver decoders interprets the encoded infrared signals and decodes the encoded operational command producing the desired result in the unit itself.
Such remote control units initially were implemented as relatively large often cumbersome devices. However, the continued application of advancing technology has produced control devices which are smaller than a typical cigarette package. In addition, the number of control features within the remote control hand unit itself have greatly increased as the technology has been refined.
Concurrent with the development of smaller and more sophisticated control units, the general increase in the number of consumer electronic devices of the type utilizing remote control has increased dramatically. With this increased popularity and use, the remote control unit has transitioned from an optional often luxury item on a consumer electronic device to commonplace standard equipment. In line with this marketplace and product transition, consumer electronic devices have become configured and designed in anticipation of remote control operation rather than the manipulation of a plurality of front cabinet buttons, knobs and other controls. Thus, consumers no longer utilize such remote control units sparingly but rather depend upon them as their main interface with the consumer electronic device.
One helpful device is marketed by Absolute Engineering Co., under the trademark "REMOTE REVOLT", which is a dba of the applicant of this application. The device provided, which was invented by the applicant includes a first generally planar member defining first and second ends; a second member defining a generally planar portion, a first end, a second end, and an upwardly extending boss proximate the first end; fastening means coupled between the first end of the first member and the boss to form a pivotal attachment therebetween; and attachment means for attaching a remote control unit to the first member and the planar portion of the second member.
The result of all this has been a virtual explosion in the proliferation of small compact lightweight remote control units. The typical home today will likely have two, three or more of such devices in use within any recreation or entertainment room. One of the problems with such remote control units is their tendency to become misplaced as consumers move about the room in other activities. In addition, such remote control units have become very similar in appearance and are often hard to distinguish from each other. Beyond this, a plurality of such remote control units collected upon a single table or the like often give the tabletop a cluttered look which users find undesirable but seem to have accepted as a fact of high technology life.
There remains, therefore, a need in the art for devices which will properly organize and coordinate the use of such multiple remote control units while facilitating their collection at a common place.